


Old World Blues

by BnLareaux



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Feels, My OTP!!!, Oneshot, Standalone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-08
Updated: 2015-12-08
Packaged: 2018-05-05 15:28:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5380355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BnLareaux/pseuds/BnLareaux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Piper feels a little of what her Blue is going through.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Old World Blues

**Author's Note:**

> This is my FIRST fanfiction so PLEEAAASSEEE be as critical as possible! I would appreciate comments, folks! I need to get better at this! This is also a bit of a first launch of my character (Joel Garrison) in my OTP with him and Piper. The world needs more M!SS/Piper so there's probably more coming.. depending on the feedback I get, if any, Thanks a bunch for reading!! 
> 
> P.S. I made him and just fell in love with him, so please excuse my need to post pictures. But hey, it could set the scene for you. (Sorry for the size!)

 

Piper stretched tiredly under the old, patched blanket as she awakened. Her eyes, adjusting drowsily in the cold darkness of the early dawn, felt rested from the night before. The “day off from the Commonwealth,” as she had stated in his arms under his warm, rough beard, had felt amazing. Just the two of them and no one else. No settlers arguing about a can of Cram found under the shattered remains of a toilet. No Minutemen shouting about Raiders or Super Mutants. No sounds of gunshots or lasers. No worries at all. It was just what she needed. Something she wanted in a _long_ time.

 

She stared up at the dirty, broken ceiling of his old Sanctuary home and thought about how to improve their living conditions. She looked at the various pieces of cloth and fabric that were hanged over the windows. She had always said that they needed a better way to keep cold air and radiation from coming through the cracks and openings of the deteriorating house. Joel had thought about trying to nail wooden boards and plastic tightly to the openings. It wouldn’t be as effective as firmly sealed glass, but it was better than nothing. They just needed to find some.There wasn’t enough materials to board up all the windows, but it was a good start to have a plan. She wanted to stop shivering every time the wind blew. To stop being afraid of who might be watching them, waiting for them. She mostly wanted more privacy in Joel’s home. And the broken windows and damaged walls were not much for hiding what she didn’t want the other settlers to see. As hellbent as she was on making the Commonwealth a better place, there were some things she wanted to keep for herself.

 

Escaping her thoughts, she looked around and felt that the bed had more room and was a lot colder. She saw folds and tears on the worn out cloth draped over the old mattress. An empty space. Piper rose from the bed and felt the cold air envelop her bare skin. Her toes wiggled against the cold touch of the dusty floors. She felt exposed in her underwear; a bra and panties that she may have been wearing for a little too long. She was against the idea at first, believing that being outside the Wall of Diamond City meant that having to get dressed was another detriment to her survival in the Commonwealth. If a Raider catches you with your pants down, it'll be easier for him to kill you, as well as doing what comes after you get shot in the face. However, she felt safe being close to Joel. Instead of fear and insecurity, she felt safety, warmth, and a little bit sexy. She was scared at being so open, but was strangely thrilled because of it.

 

She walked towards the doorway and heard a faint, gentle voice accompanied by light gibberish. She exited the room cautiously and was intrigued at the sight of the green radiance of a Pip-Boy light bathing the living room.

 

_“...Isn't that right?... You are kind. And loving… Haha, and funny! That’s right. And patient. So patient. Patience of a saint, my mom used to say...”_

 

Piper felt a strange air throughout the house. Not one of irradiation or dust, but one that felt heavy and disheartening. She walked through the hall of the crumbling home, ignoring the cold, towards the green light. She stepped slowly and quietly. She felt that he didn’t need to be interrupted. Her eyes locked onto his tense shoulders as she leaned on the doorway into the living room.

 

_“...It’s been an amazing year. But even so, I know our best days are yet to come...”_

 

Piper’s heart quickened at the echoes of the canned voices. The sincerity of the voice and the innocence of the babbles sent shivers down her spine. The coldness of the air disappeared on her flushing skin. Her hands shook as she listened on, still watching his halted figure.

 

_“...rejoin the civilian workforce. And... I’ll shake the dust off my law degree...”_

 

Joel stared straight towards the dusty, black screen of the television. He sat, almost naked, in front of a broken window and still sat motionless. Frozen but not shivering.

 

_“...But everything we do, no matter how hard... we do it for our family...”_

 

Piper clutched her hands tightly into fists. Her teeth grit and her breathing became tense and shaky. She felt a lump in her throat. Her toes curled against the cold floor as she continued to hear the childish raspberries and the crackling static.

 

_“...Now say goodbye, Shaun... Bye-bye! Say ‘bye-bye,’ come on! Hahaha. Bye honey! We love you!”_

 

The feedback tone screeched softly out of the recording as the clicking of the holotape signaled the end of the recording. She stood at the end of the hall in silence, no longer leaning on the doorway. She had forgotten her desire to stay hidden and almost felt weak at the knees. She still stared at Joel with broken eyes full of sympathy and tears.

 

He sniffled once and brought his thumb towards his face, swiftly stroking it over his eyes. He briefly cleared his throat and maintained his eye contact with the television.

 

“Y’know you really shouldn’t be barefoot.. you don’t know what you might step on.”

 

Piper was suddenly thrown out of her nervous trance and into the surprising calmness of his voice. The solid tone of his voice that had broken the silence was both worrying and reassuring.

 

“I like you with two legs.” He continued, chuckling dryly.

 

She paused for a second then responded.

 

“I don’t see anything on _your_ feet.”

 

Piper felt it best to play along. It was always how they would speak to each other. Banter. How they would flirt. The way most of their conversations went and the way they were at their best. Although, she knew that wasn’t the case.

 

“I guess you’re right,” He replied. “Hopefully we’ll both only lose one leg.”

 

“Hopefully opposite legs. Then we could hook arms and walk together.” Piper stated with a smile.

 

“Might take a while to get coordinated, but we’ll get the hang of it.” He said with a grin of certainty.

 

The two sat on the ruined couch together and laughed. But they knew it wasn’t their usual laughter. It was a way of hiding something. After a few chuckles, their smiles faded back into silence. Both of them stared quietly at the television.

 

“...Blue...” Piper began.

 

Joel stared at her intently and interjected.

 

“Listen, Piper... you don’t have to say anything. But you should know I still feel the same way about you.”

 

“Blue, I’m not mad or jealous or anything like that... I wanna be there for you. I promised you that I would watch your back out here. And in the past few minutes of doing that, I can see what you’re going through. I can’t imagine how it feels, but I can see it happening.”

 

Tears began to form in her eyes as she continued. He sat still looking at her. Listening to her.

 

“You’ve pretty much carried me through this irradiated shithole wasteland and somehow you still managed to help everyone else. And you’ve done it with a smile.”

 

Joel looked down at his Pip-Boy and remained silent. The green light continued to illuminate the room dimly.

 

“You’ve seen the worst of what this world can throw at you and you still manage to give something back to it. You’ve gone through so much, Blue. You’ve seen death, and-and pain, and more death.”

 

She took his right hand in both of hers, sniffling; almost at the point of breaking down and crying her eyes out.

 

“Sometimes I wonder how you can carry all of it without stumbling.”

 

He faced her and brought his hands up to hold her face, drying the streams on her cheeks with his thumbs. He looked at her, behind the green light, amazed at how he saw her in the midst of all the emotions.

 

“I just want you to know,” Piper concluded. “that I’ll always be here for you... Just like you’re always there for me.”

 

Joel smiled and caressed her cheeks with his calloused thumbs. He brought her face closer and planted a warm kiss on her trembling lips. He held what he felt was the world in his hands. The warmth of her tears brought him closer to her. Closer than they’d ever been. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. Each brush against his chapped lips felt like heaven. Safety, security, and passion. She pulled her head back and gently pushed him away.

 

“I’m kinda covered in tears and I’m not sure if there’s snot coming out of my nose right now,” Piper giggled tearfully; wiping her face with her forearms.

 

“Not exactly the perfect day off, huh?” She continued with a grin, still trembling from her recent weeping.

 

Joel smiled and examined her face. He reclaimed his grasp of her cheeks then gave her a peck on the nose.

 

“You don’t need to be flawless, Piper. You’re perfect for me.” He stated, his voice calm and endearing.

 

Piper shivered at the familiar words. He held her close as they laid on the old couch, his arms around her as they both faced the open window. Joel reached towards his left wrist and turned off the Pip-Boy light. The emerald glow vanished as the couple comfortably watched the warm radiance of the sun rise above the horizon. They closed their eyes and settled quietly, her head buried against the warmth of his neck; his bearded chin resting on the top of her head. The stars disappeared and left the skies blue and clear, signaling yet another day in the Commonwealth.

 

 

 

 

  



End file.
